Apparatus for making steel

ABSTRACT

AN OXYGEN LANCE STEELMAKING INSTALLATION COMPRISING INTERSECTING TRACKWAYS EACH HAVING SPACED RAILS ALONG WHICH A FURNACE ISMOVED BETWEENOPERATING AND SERVICE AREAS A PLURALITY OF WHEELED TRUCKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FURNACE AND INDIVIDUALLY ROTATABLE ABOUT VERTICAL AXES AND LIFTING APPARATUS PERMANENTLY INSTALLED AT THE RAIL INTERSECTIONS FOR LIFTING THE TRUCKS SO THAT THEY CAN BE ROTATED TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE FURNACE.

United States Patent AppL No. Filed Patented Assignee APPARATUS FOR MAKING STEEL 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 266/39, 104/36 int. CL. F271! 3/12, C2 1c 5/50 Field of Search 266/13, 35,

[561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 399,125 3/1889 Adams et a1 266/13 605,451 6/1898 Reese et al.... 266/13 2,151,360 3/1939 Tafel 266/34X 3,039,627 6/1962 Sayre et a1. 266/39X 3,331,681 7/1967 Mobley 266/34X 682,944 9/1901 Langley 104/42 832,650 10/1906 Bandmann 104/45 898,115 9/1908 Klemp 104/45 1,389,184 8/1921 Cole et al.. 266/13(X) 2,347,396 4/ 1944 Crandall 104/44 3,362,700 1/1968 Metz et a1. 266/35 3,434,606 3/1969 Asamura l05/177(X) Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-John S. Brown Anomey-Watts, Hoffman, Fisher & l-leinke ABSTRACT: An oxygen lance steelmaking installation comprising intersecting trackways each having spaced rails along which a furnace is moved between operating and service areas, a plurality of wheeled trucks associated with the furnace and individually rotatable about vertical axes and lifting apparatus permanently installed at the rail intersections for lifting the trucks so that they can be rotated to change the direction of travel of the furnace PATENTEDJUN28197l 3588.073

sum 1 or 3 ls l 3| IO 32 I I F I IN VEN TOMS.

ROSS BMCAEADY KLAUS W FORSI'ER m, /y%wmr, BY m a Mai ATTORNEYS PATENTED JUN28 I97! SHEET 2 BF 3 36 37 lNVE/VTORS. R086 5. MCREADY KLAUS W FORSTER' PATENTEU JUN28 (9n SHEET 3 UF 3 ATTORNEYS.

APPARATUS son MAKING STEEL RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application, Ser. No. 567,72], filed July 25. I966, entitled Method and Apparatus for Making Steel," now U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,832, issued Sept. 30. I969, which application is a continuation-in-part of our application, Ser. No. l4,32l, filed Dec. I6, 1965, entitled Method and Apparatus for Making Steel," now U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,544, issued Apr. 4, I967, the disclosure of which including the specification, drawings. etc., are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD Present day steelmaking installations using the oxygen lance process usually comprise a plurality of furnaces or furnace vessels pivotally supported about horizontal axes. The furnace vessels are usually stationary, that is, not movable from one location to another in the installation. The furnaces or furnace vessels require relining and/or other servicing periodically, usually about every 2 weeks. The present practice is to reline and perform other services and/or operations upon the vessels while they are in their stationary operating or blowing positions. It takes 3 or more days to reline a furnace and during relining the furnace is out of production. When the steel being produced is being supplied to a processing installation that requires a predetermined constant or substantially constant supply of metal, an additional furnace or additional furnaces must be provided over the number which would be required to supply the demand for steel if the furnaces could be operated continuously. The necessity of providing an additional furnace or furnaces increase the overall operating cost of the installation.

It has heretofore been proposed to remove the furnaces to a service area for relining, etc., and replace the same by another furnace during the relining operation thus utilizing the auxiliary equipment, such as, the blowing apparatus, charging apparatus, etc., to the best possible advantage and thereby reducing the overall cost of producing steel for an installation of any given capacity. Prior attempts in this respect using ground-type transportation have, however, had merely limited commercial success which may in part be due to the large weight of the furnaces and the difficulty of changing the direction of movement of the furnace in its travel to a service area.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention provides a furnace movable between operating or blowing area and a service area by surface transportation including intersecting trackways and four or more wheeled trucks operatively associated with the furnace for rotation about discrete vertical axes, the rotation being effected to change the direction of travel of the furnace at the rail intersections utilizing apparatus permanently installed at the intersection and normally at or below track level, such as, a plurality of lifting jacks for raising the wheels above the rails so that the trucks can be rotated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention resides in certain constructions and combinations and arrangements of parts of a steelmaking apparatus or installation, and the objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following description of the preferred embodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a steelmaking installation illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view approximately on line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view approximately on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

The drawings show the essential parts of a novel and improved steelmaking apparatus comprising intersecting tracts or trackways along which a furnace is moved between an operating area and a service area, such as disclosed in our aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3.3 l2,544, by means including a plurality of wheeled trucks operatively associated with the furnace and comprising apparatus permanently installed at an intersection of the trackways for effecting or assisting in effecting rotation of the trucks about vertical axes to change the direction of travel of the furnace with no turning of the furnace proper. The apparatus at the operating or blowing area and at the service area is a conventional construction and may be similar to that shown in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,544. I

The drawings show the essential parts of a novel and improved steelmaking apparatus comprising intersecting tracks or trackways along which a furnace is moved between an operating area and a service area, such as disclosed in our aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,3l2,544, by means including a plurality of wheeled trucks operatively associated with the furnace and comprising apparatus permanently installed at an intersection of the trackways for raising the wheels to allow rotation of the trucks about vertical axes to change the direction of travel of the furnace with no turning of the furnace proper. The apparatus at the operating or blowing area and at the service area is a conventional construction and may be similar to that shown in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,3l2,544.

The reference character A designates generally a movable furnace comprising a furnace proper or furnace vessel B of conventional construction carried on a trunnion ring 10 pivotally supported for oscillation about a generally horizontal axis in bearings 11 and 12 into which suitable cylindrical bosses l3 and 14 formed integral with the trunnion ring 10 at opposite sides thereof project. The bearings 11 and 12 are carried by side members 15 and 16, respectively, of a built-up furnace frame, generally rectangular in plan. The frame, designated generally by the reference character C, is formed for the most part by metal plates welded together.

The fumaee vessel B is oscillatable in the bearings 11 and 12 for charging, pouring, etc. by a suitable drive. The drive is not shown in detail as it may be of any suitable construction and the source of power may be an electric motor, a fluid motor or an internal combustion engine, etc. Suffice it to say that the drive, including a bull gear 21 keyed to the boss 14 on the right-hand side of the trunnion ring 10, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and driven by pinions 22 and 23. The left-hand hearing II is enclosed in a protective housing 24 and the righthand bearing I2 and the drive in a housing 25. Both housings form part of the frame C, but are constructed to provide ready access to the operating mechanism enclosed therein.

The front and rear frame members 26 and 27, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, are depressed intermediate their ends, as shown in the FIGS. referred to, to provide additional clearance for the furnace vessel B when tilted but this is not essential.

In the installation shown, it is assumed that the furnace A has been moved from its nonnal operating or blowing position and is supported on a track E extending to the operating or blowing position at its intersection with a crosstrack F extending to the service area and in position to be transferred to the track F. The track E, shown, comprises double or paired spaced rails 30, 3! and 32, 33 and the track F, which is of the same gauge as the track E, comprises the paired rails 34, 3S and 36, 37. The foundation or support for the tracks E and F is designated G and may be of any desired character. The track E, as previously suggested, may extend to the blowing position, etc., and the track F may extend to a service area. The furnace A includes four trucks H, l, J and K connected to the frame C adjacent to the comers thereof for movably supporting it on one or the other of the tracks E or F. The trucks are connected to the frame C for rotation about generally vertical axes.

To transfer the furnace from one track to the other the frame C can be raised so as to lift the wheels of the trucks H, l, J and K clear of the rails of the track upon which it is sup ported, the trucks rotated until the wheels thereof overlie the rails of the other track and the frame C lowered to position the furnace upon the second track. The furnace A is raised and lowered by hydraulic actuated jack means L, M, N and P, forming a part of and located adjacent to the corners of the furnace C or by a plurality of discrete hydraulic actuated jack means R, in the present instance four, located in the floor at the intersections of the rails of the tracks E and F such that the furnace A can be positioned thereover with the jack means R concentric with the axis of rotation of the trucks H, l, l and K, respectively.

The trucks H to K, the jack means associated therewith and the four jack means in the floor are alike and only the truck I and the jack means associated therewith and the jack means in the floor, concentric with the axis of rotation of the truck I, will be described in detail. The duplicate parts of the other trucks and jack means when designated by reference characters will be done so by using the same reference characters with prime, double prime and triple prime marks employed therewith when applied to trucks H, .l and K, and the jack means adapted to lift the corner of the furnace to which the trucks are connected, respectively.

The truck 1 comprises a frame 50 connected to the frame C for rotation about a cylindrical, tubular member or cylinder 51 welded to the frame C and extending into the interior of the truck frame 50. In the embodiment shown the member 51 is the cylinder of the hydraulic jack M which includes a piston member 52 provided with a foot member 53 adapted to engage the rails at the track intersections. This construction permits transfer of the furnace from one track to the other using one or the other or for that matter both of the jack means on the furnace and in the floor. An annular bronze ringlike member 62 is interposed between the lower side of a plate 63 of the truck frame and the upper adjacent side of a platelike member 64 of the truck frame, A somewhat similar ring member 65 may be employed, if desired, between the lower side of the plate 64 of the truck frame and the upper side of a nut member 66 threaded onto the lower end of the tube 51. The nut member 66 rotatably secures the truck I to the frame C. The jack M is preferably of the double-acting type so that the piston or ram 52 can be moved by fluid pressure, preferably hydraulic, in a downwardly direction to raise the frame C and the truck I when the direction of movement of the furnace is to be changed, and in the opposite direction to maintain the foot member 53 clear of the rails when the furnace is being moved along one of the tracks.

Fluid pressure may be supplied for operating the piston or ram 52 in any convenient manner, It is preferably supplied by a self-contained power unit carried by the furnace and operated by an internal combustion engine. If operated by an electric motor, electrical power can be supplied by a trolley distribution system of the third rail type. The truck I, as shown, comprises two pairs of wheels 70, 71 and 72, 73, supported on suitable axles 74, 75, respectively, connected to the truck frame 50. The wheels 70, 71 are keyed to the axle 74 and are adapted to be driven by a motor 76 supported on the frame 50 and operatively connected to the axle 74 by a suitable train of gears, enclosed in a housing 77 forming part of the frame 50. The motor provides means for moving the furnace along the track upon which it is supported, and suitable brake mechanism 78 is associated with the motor shafi so that the furnace can be held in any position to which it is moved along one or the other of the tracks.

The jack means R, shown underneath the comer of the furnace to which the truck I is connected, comprises a fluid-pressure actuated motor comprising a vertically extending cylinder 80 fixedly secured in a pit or aperture 81 in the floor or foundation 82, and having a reciprocable piston rod or ram 83 projecting from its upper end. The fluid-pressure actuated motor is preferably of the single-acting type and the piston or ram 83 thereof can be extended or moved by fluid pressure, preferably hydraulic, in an upwardly direction and into engagernent with the member 53 to raise the frame C and the truck I when the direction of movement of the furnace is to be changed. The weight of the ram 83 will return it to its retracted position clear of the furnace when the pressure is removed from the lower end of the cylinder 80. Alternatively, a double-acting fluid-pressure motor may be employed. Fluid pressure may be supplied for operating the piston or ram 83 in any convenient manner.

The trucks H to K are pivoted through in transferring the furnace from one track to the other. In the embodiment shown this is accomplished by double-acting fluid-pressure reciprocating-type motors 90, 9t, 92 and 93, located at the front and rear of the furnace, as viewed in H05. 1 and 2, and having their pistons operatively connected with the trucks H to K, respectively. The cylinders of the motors are pivotally connected to the front and rear members 26, 27 of the frame C. As will be obvious from FIG. 1, the two front trucks and the two rear trucks are rotated in opposite directions with respect to one another in transferring the furnace from one track to the other. The motors 90 to 93 may be supplied with fluid pressure in a conventional manner, preferably from a power source located on the furnace frame C and movable with the furnace. The motors 90 to 93 may be omitted, if desired, and the trucks rotated by hand or auxiliary mechanism in the floor.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the objects heretofore enumerated and others have been accomplished and that there has been provided a novel and improved steelmaking apparatus or installation using the oxygen lance process which provides for movement of a furnace on a car or constructed as a part of a car between blowing and service areas by ground transportation including crosstracks or tracks intersecting one another at any appropriate angle and means for transferring the car from one truck to the other to change the direction of travel of the car with minimum or no clearance radius requirement utilizing lifting apparatus on the car or apparatus lifting permanently installed in the floor at the track intersection or intersections.

While preferred embodiments have been referred to and described in considerable detail, the invention is not limited to the particular arrangements and constructions shown and/or referred to and it is the intention to hereby cover all adaptations, modifications and uses thereof which come within the practice of those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

I. In a basic oxygen-type steelmaking installation having intersecting tracks each comprising spaced rail means along which a furnace vessel supported on at least four discrete multiwheeled trucks each pivotable about a different vertical axis is moved between blowing and service areas, permanently installed discrete means at the centers of each of the intersections of the rail means of the respective tracks for lifting the furnace vessel whereby the trucks may be pivoted between positions in which their wheels are in alignment with the respective tracks.

2. In a basic oxygen-type steelmaking apparatus having intersecting tracks each comprising spaced rail means extending between blowing and service areas and a furnace vessel vehicle including a generally horizontal frame having at least four multiwheeled trucks each pivotally connected therewith for movement about a discrete vertical axis adapted to travel along said tracks, permanently installed discrete jack means at the centers of each of the intersections of the rail means to lifi said furnace vehicle and pennit rotation of the trucks about their respective vertical axes to change the direction of travel of said vehicle along said tracks.

3. In a basic oxygen-type steelmaking apparatus having intersecting tracks each comprising spaced rail means extending each of the intersections of the rail means for engaging said abutment means to lift said furnace vehicle and permit rotation of the trucks about their respective vertical axes to effect a change in the direction of travel of said furnace vehicle along said tracks. 

